preview

Weight Loss Surgery Is Not A Quick Fix Essay

Better Essays
Open Document

35
Weight Loss Surgery is Not a Quick Fix
In the United States today, more than 44 million individuals are obese. Our lifestyles are sedentary; our portions are out of control. Oddly enough, even though more than half of the nation is, in layman’s terms, fat, this situation is not embraced. Rather, we are constantly reminded in one way or another that being overweight is wrong. Not only do news reports warn us of the health problems linked to obesity, but celebrities, fashion magazines, and the media equate thinness with success and happiness.
Health risks combined with pressure to conform are sometimes too much for the obese to tolerate. Some of these people feel that they need to correct their flaws immediately. Individuals who feel a traditional diet program is too difficult or lengthy often opt for a gastric bypass, which surgically reduces the size of the stomach. However, those who elect to have this procedure are often shunned by thin individuals who imply that this surgery is an effortless escape from morbid obesity. On the contrary, as will be discussed in the context of this paper, bariatric surgery is anything but an “easy way out” (Bailey). Gastric bypass surgery is a life-altering, potentially life-threatening decision and those have such an operation demonstrate great discipline and sacrifice.
First it is important to realize how detrimental obesity really is. For starters, the health risks associated with carrying extra weight are countless. Statistics show

Get Access